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Sammy said to watch those foreign jihadis ...
Saddam Hussein warned his Iraqi supporters to be wary of joining forces with foreign Arab fighters entering Iraq to battle American troops, according to a document found with the former Iraqi leader when he was captured, Bush administration officials said Tuesday. The document appears to be a directive, written after he lost power, from Mr. Hussein to leaders of the Iraqi resistance, counseling caution against getting too close to Islamic jihadists and other foreign Arabs coming into occupied Iraq, according to American officials.There are a couple of reasons for doing this, not the least of which being a desire to preserve his own security, preventing sectarian tensions from breaking out (there were Iraqi Christians in Sammyâs ranks), plus a fear that the Fedayeen might decide that it was cooler being Binnyâs thugs fighting in the global jihad than setting out to defend the Revolution(TM). It provides a second piece of evidence challenging the Bush administration contention of close cooperation between Mr. Husseinâs government and terrorists from Al Qaeda. C.I.A. interrogators have already elicited from the top Qaeda officials in custody that, before the American-led invasion, Osama bin Laden had rejected entreaties from some of his lieutenants to work jointly with Mr. Hussein. Why, since interactions with the foreign jihadis has nothing to do with what Sammy may have done before the war? Of course, far be it from the Times to note that Ibn Shaykh al-Libi says that al-Qaeda did work with Iraq, as have likely Muammar Ahmed Yousef. Khalid said they didnât after he was captured and Abu Zubaydahâs answer as reported in the Weekly Standard was that Binny was willing to cooperate with anybody who hated the US, which explains his diamond deals with Chuck down in Liberia. Officials said Mr. Hussein apparently believed that the foreign Arabs, eager for a holy war against the West, had a different agenda from the Baathists, who were eager for their own return to power in Baghdad. As a result, he wanted his supporters to be careful about becoming close allies with the jihadists, officials familiar with the document said. A new, classified intelligence report circulating within the United States government describes the document and its contents, according to administration officials who asked not to be identified. The officials said they had no evidence that the document found with Mr. Hussein was a fabrication. And there does the news end and the Timesâs spin begin with this article ... Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-01-14 |
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